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Miley Cyrus film set for April debut

The star of “Hannah Montana” on the Disney Channel was born Destiny Hope Cyrus in Nashville. She had such a smiley face as a young child that they nicknamed her Miley.Her film, “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” is slated to open at theaters in April and features roles by Dolly Parton and Vickie Lawrence.

Dear Ken: With O.J. Simpson back in the news recently, can you tell me what would have been four or five of the former NFL star‘s most famous films?

Simpson had interesting roles in “Capricorn One,” “The Cassandra Crossing” and “The Towering Inferno,” but his best role was as Detective Nordberg in “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” and its two sequels.

Dear Ken: On the second sitcom series that starred Bob Newhart, what were the names of the three actors who played Larry, Darryl and Darryl? When did that show run?

The comedian’s second sitcom was simply titled “Newhart” and set at the Stratford Inn in Norwich, Vermont. It ran from 1982 to 1990 on CBS. William Sanderson played Larry, the talkative one, while Tony Papenfuss was the first Darryl and John Voldstad was the second Darryl. Neither actor ever spoke on the show.

Dear Ken: I remember some cartoons from my youth with a big, wise-cracking rooster with a strong Southern accent. Who was that?

I say, I say that was none other than Foghorn J. Leghorn, my boy.The rooster with a boisterous Kentucky or Virginia accent first appeared in the cartoon “Walky Talky Hawky” in 1946. Warner Bros. used the character in about 30 cartoons from then until 1963. His voice was by the late great Mel Blanc.Some of his characterization seems to have been borrowed from a blustery Southern politician, Sen. Cleghorn, on Fred Allen’s radio show of the 1940s.

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck via www.sherlocksbooks.com where you can also find classic films and TV shows on DVD or visit Sherlock’s Book Emporium in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Ask Ken Beck

Journalist Ken Beck, a longtime resident of Wilson County, has recently become a contributing writer for Main Street Media and its local newspaper, "The Wilson Post."

Earlier this year Beck concluded a 31-year career with "The Tennessean" where he edited the Nashville paper’s “Sunday Showcase” entertainment magazine for 25 years. Besides interviewing stars of film and television, Beck wrote Tennessee travel and feature stories and a popular Q&A entertainment column.